It’s about the journey

It’s been a week since I officially released my book ‘Coping with the Horroffice‘. When I look back at my life, this will most definitely be one of the significant points in it. A defining point maybe, because I now genuinely feel I am a Writer’ and even an ‘Author’.

One of the most endearing habits we’ve had in our family for a while is that on our birthdays, or at Christmas or Diwali or a particularly significant event, we take a look back at what we’ve learned, and then we look forwards to what we’re going to do next. I love this habit.

So I’d like to share it here with you too. (In fact, I’m actually sharing it with you first).

Looking Back…

About this time last year, I left a contract I had been in for about six months, and which at various points had befuddled me, reduced me to tears, or left me silently raging. I wondered what I’d done to deserve such a tough contract. I hadn’t planned to leave, so I didn’t have any savings so my decision had a huge impact on my finances. But I felt I’d rather deal with the stress of no cash than the stress of that role.

I’m so glad I didn’t know then what I know now. Why? Because maybe I wouldn’t have seen the problems with the same eyes, I would just have been wishing away the time, knowing what was coming. I wouldn’t have learned the lessons I’d learned, I’d just have skimmed the surface. I wouldn’t have felt the way I did. And the idea for the book might never have come about.

So I think that’s lesson number one (even though I’d like to say I’ve got this sussed, I think I may have to keep reminding myself of it now and again) – ‘This too shall pass’.

I still have the post-it note with the title – I’d stuck it on my wall in March, and I finally started writing the book in April. And then all sorts of serendipitous circumstances started to line up. An invitation to a 30 day Challenge in June, meeting my fabulous business coach during the challenge, being introduced to my wonderful editor through my coach.

Something else happened too. I’d always thought I was pretty laid back, and slightly lazy at heart. But I found that every day, day after day, no matter how tired I was from a stressful day job, or how frozen and stressed I was feeling because I didn’t have any job at all, I kept working on the book. Writing, editing, formatting, blogging, tweeting, posting about it. And here we are, a year later – it’s out there, it’s actually published! So lesson number two – ‘Just Keep Going’.

And looking forward?

Well, I’ve learnt that (even though I’d quite enjoy it), it’s highly unlikely that people will simply discover the book, sitting out there in Amazon’s cyberspace bookshop. I will need to keep working to promote it, to market it, to remind people it’s here and it might just help. And I’m also going to be working on the second book. And although I’m exhausted from getting to this stage, it’s not enough. Publishing the book was a huge goal, and I still can’t quite believe I’ve achieved it. But it’s not the end. It’s just a pit stop. I’ve changed so much, in so many immeasurable ways. I’ve found some peace and acceptance of myself, of who I am at my core, and I know I want to keep on with this adventure. I have no idea where it’s going to lead me, I just know it’s going to be somewhere good, and probably somewhere I wouldn’t expect to be.

So I think lesson three, for me, is that it’s not just about the goal – it’s about the journey. It’s not the goal that defines you, it’s the journey you take to get there, the challenges you face, the changes you make, the person you become.